One of the recent (last 2-3) Basic Brewing podcasts has a link to someone who apparently made a good one. I can't remember which episode, but it's in the first couple minutes so it shouldn't take too long to find.http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio

babalu87 wrote:Majorvices tried something but I dont know the results.I think he has the results on his digital camera with that copper pipe thingy he made

Copper pipe thingy works great. Kinda. digital camera doesn't work so hot. I did make an apple beer recently that I used apple cider in the sparge. It's kind of like a "snake bite" except I blended them together before boiling. Of course, the beer has a bit of a pectin haze seeing as I boiled the cider. But that doesn;t bother me.

I have been sampling the beer and I just last night pulled a full pint. It is a smoked beer (smoked all my grains over apple wood) so I am not sure how well the apple comes through. There is a tartness that blends well with the smoke but I am thinking some apple concentrate in the secondary would work nice to bring out the flavor more. I have to admit, I really like the beer. Just has a great flavor IMO and is very quaffable. But, as I said, I don't really detect allot of apple. Just a tartness.

I don't know how well apples in the secondary would work but you could puree them and add them to the secondary and see. Whatever you come up with good luck!

Here's mine. It is based on a cream ale recipe, and has a certain bready malt flavor to is, so it is definitely more of an ale than a cider, but it does use a good proportion of cider. I use very fresh unfiltered unadulterated apple cider. Not the junk you buy at the store, but only the stuff you can get fresh from an orchard in September/October. Quality and freshness are everything. The best thing you can do is press your own or get fresh cider from an orchard in the fall. Shop around and use the best stuff you can find. In my beer, the apple shows up most of all in the tartness (more of a sensation of acidity than a flavor), and then of course the flavor does show up, even moreso in the finish and the aftertaste, which has an obvious apple cider flavor that is pleasant and not overpowering.

One other thing to mention about apple beer is that it takes longer to ferment than normal beer. Give it a good month or even two if you can.

An earlier version of this recipe took 1st in the fruit/specialty category a few years ago. I've made it again since and it turned out even better the second time. The recipe is tweaked slightly again based on notes I had from the last batch so it should be the best recipe yet. Nothing terribly complicated, just be sure not to boil the cider. Note: this is for 3 gallons, not 5. If you want more, you'll need to scale up.

Mash in to hit 150 F for 30 minutes. Batch sparge with 185 F water. Bring to boil. During the second half of the boil, bring 1 gal cider to 170 F in a separate pot on the side (do not boil) for 15 minutes to pasteurize and add to the beer at flameout. Ferment 2 weeks at 68 F. Rack to secondary for 4 weeks. Prime with 4.5 Tbsp. table sugar and also add a couple ounces of lactose if required to sweeten (optional, do whatever you like).

Enjoy.

Dave

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)

Yep, I've made it a couple of times since 2005. Yummy yum yum. It is a favorite and I think I'll be making it again this fall.

Dave

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)

I think it gives a pretty good balance between beeriness and appleyness. Very obvious. Some folks have termed the combination of beer and cider as a "graff". I just call it an apple ale, a fruit beer.

Dave

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)